adler



March 22, 1927.

C. ADLER, JR

ELECTROMAGNETICALLY OPERATED CIRCUIT CLOSER Filed June 2, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 22 1927. March c. ADLER, JR

ELECTROMAGNETICALLY OPERATED CIRCUIT CLdSER Filed June 2 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 22, 192?.

UNETED CHARLES ADLER, 53., GE BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

ELECTBOMAGNETIGALLY-OPERATED CIRCUIT CLOSER.

Application filed June 2,

This invention relates to improvements in circuit-breakers and is especially directed to an electric relay structure for el'l'e .iing an intermittent interruption of an electric circuit as for enample through a plurality of lamps whereby to produce the elt'ect ot' awaving light which is especia ly desirable as a signal atrailway-cross The invention is illust panying drawings wher Fig. 1 shows the improved circuit brer her in perspective.

in the accom- Fig. 3 shows the detached armature in perspective.

Fig. 4 illustrates on an enlarged scale and in vertical sectional elevation the circuitchanging devices as the same would appear if viewed on the line ll of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 shows the structure and the circuit controlled thereby in a diagrammatic way.

The present invention is an improvement on the structure disclosed in my pending application for patent Serial Number 544: 5'71 filed March 17th, 1922 for a circuit breaker in that it embodies all the leading features of said structure but adds certain features whereby additional operations and results are effected whereby to alternately open and close two different circuits as will presently be more fully explained.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 5 designates a base of insulation material on which is mounted a metal plate 6.

Two posts '1' and 8 are sustained by and project laterally from the plate 6 while an electro-magnet 9 is also mounted on the plat and has position between the two posts.

One end 10 of the magnet-winding is connected through the plate 6 to the posts 7 while the other end 11 of said winding extends down through the base 5 and has certain connections which will presently be described.

Adjacent to the post 7 and spaced from one end of the plate 6 there a post 1.3 having an adjustable contact screw 1 post 13 is sustained by the insu-ated base 5 and a wire 12 shown in broken lines in r 1, extends from said post and is attacto binding-post 16.

The post 7 is of metal and is directly connected to the plate 6 and on the upper end of said post there is a metal sleeve which carries a bracket 18 and said bracket has 1923. Serial No. 642,960.

lip-turned spaced-apart side lugs 19 which pivotally carry a breaker-bar 20.

The breaker-bar 20 has one end 21 that extends over the post 7 and another end 22 which extends downwardly from one end of the bracket. This down-turned end of the breaker-bar carries a contact plate 23 which depends at and normally engages or contacts with the end 01 the contact screw 1+l,-the weight of said breaker-bar end serving by gravity to normally keep the plate 23 against the end or" the screw 14.

On the upper end of post 8 there is a sleeve 24 having a bracket 26 with spacedapart lugs 27 and an armature 28 is pivotally carried by the lugs so as to project over the electro-magnet 9.

A bar 29 is attached to the armature and one end 30 of this bar extends beyond the magnet and has position over the upper end or the post 7 and also over the end 21 of the breaker-plate.

The other end of the bar 29 carries a T- shaped head 31 of insulating material and the two arms 32- and 33 of this head extend laterally from opposite sides of the bar.

A screw-threaded stem 25, depends from the head 31 and carries an adjustable weight 34- whereby the stem and its weight will slightly overbalance the end 30 of the bar 29 and normally, when the magnet 9 is de energized, keep said latter end elevated above the end 21 of the breaker-bar.

In so far as described, the structure is substantially like that disclosed in 111* said pending application for patent with the exception of the screw 25 and weight 3%.

It is believed to be obvious that it electromagnet 9 is energized its core will attract the armature 28, and as said armature swings down the bar 29 will also be moved downardly until the end 30 thereot strikes the end 21 of the breaker-bar 20.

As bar-end 30 strikes the end 21 of the breaker-bar it will depress said end and thus swing the opposite end 22 of the breaker-bar outwardly and move the contact-plate 23 outwardly from engagement with the contact screw 1 its the circuit through the magnet is only completed when the plate 23 is in engagement with the screw 14, obviously the outward movement or the plate 23 from the screw 14: will interrupt that circuit and cause the magnet to become deenergized, whereupon the armature 29 will be raised by the stem and its weight and thus allow the contact plate 23 to again swing into engage ment with the screw 14 and again close the circuit through the magnet.

This opening and closing of the circui through the magnet is thus intermittently carried on just as in the structure of my said pending application.

While the present invention makes use of this intermittent opening and closing of the circuit through the electro-magnet, it also utilizes the movement of the armature to establish first one and then another circuit path for the current so that one circuit at a time will be closed.

. In carrying out this feature of my invention I provide each arm 32 and 33 of the armature-head 31, with a vertical post 36 and 37. These posts, in this instance, have the form of screws in order that they may be vertically adjusted with respect to the arms, and obviously, as the armature rocks these screws are moved up or down according to the direction in which the armature is moved.

At each side of the head 31 and the arms 32 and 33, I provide a vertical support or post 38 and 39 which are attached to the insulation base 5, and near their upper ends,

the two posts carry bars 40 and 41 of insu lation material which support a cross-bar 42. The bar 42 is therefore insulated from the vertical posts 38 and 39.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 4 of the draw ings it will be seen that the vertical post 38 is connected by a wire 43 with a bindingpost 44, on one end of the base and that the post 39 is connected by a wire 45 withanother binding-post 46 on said base-end.

At the upper end of post 38, I provide an arm 47 with a contact point 48 projecting therefrom while at the upper end of post 39 there is another arm 49 with a contactpoint 50.

It will thus be seen that contact-point 48, is connected to binding-post 44, through the post 38 and wire 43, while contact-point 50 is connected to binding-post 46 through post 39 and wire 45. V

Anotherpost 51 is supported by the base and extends vertically therefrom and from the base of this post there is awire 52 which connects with a third binding-post 53 onthe end of the base 5.

Near the upper end of the post 51 the latter carries a bearingpin 54 while the cross-bar 42 carries a. similar pin 55. The points of these two pins are in alinement but are spaced from each other and an oscillating circuit-changing device is mounted between these pins so as to rock thereon.

This circuit-changing device comprises a shaft-like body 56 which is eccentrically engaged at its opposite ends by the pins 54 and 55and from this body 56 there projects two arms or blades 57 and 58 respectively, one blade projecting from one side of the body and the other blade from the other side of said body. These blades 57 and 58 have positions directly over the upper ends of the armature' posts 36 and 37.

A block 59 is carried by the body 56 and extends upwardly therefrom and is located in a vertical plane between the arms 47 and 49, and in this instance, the block carries a contact-point 60 at one side and another contact-point 61 at the opposite side.

The contact point 60 on the block 59 is so positioned thereon that when the block is swung over to one side, it, the point, will engage the contact-point 48, on arm 47, and when the block is swung over to the other side, the contact-point 61 thereon will engage the contactpoint 50 on the arm 49.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings it will be seen that when the armature 28 is drawn down on the magnet 9 the head 31 and screws 36 and 37 will be moved upwardly. lVhichever one of the blades 57 or 58 of the circuit-changer happens to be in the lower position will be struck by the.

screw 36 or 37 beneath it and the circuitbreaker will thereby be-rock'ed and the block 59 thus shifted from one side to the other so as to break one circuit and then close another when it swings over.

As a practical example of the utility of the structure Fig. 5, diagrammatically illustrates an application of the invention in the operation of two pairs of lamps.

' By reference to said Fig. 5, the numeral 62 designates two track-rails which are provided with insulation 63 whereby to form an insulated track-section at a point where a roadway 64 crosses. This track section is provided with a current-supply such as a battery 65,one pole of the battery being connected to one track-rail and the other pole of'said battery being connected to the other track-rail.

A track-relay 66, is connected to the track rails of the section by wires 67 and 68 so that normally this relay will be energized.

An armature 69, is operatively associated with the relay 66 and is normally attracted by the latter against the tension of a spring 7 O.

One end of the armature 69, is connected by a wire 71 to one side of a current supply 72, while a contact polnt 73 is so positioned as to be engaged by the armature whenever the relay 66 is deenergized and this contact '66 is deenergized because of a train or .vehi cle entering the section comprising the two rails 62, that armature 69 will be actuated by the spring 7 O and close with the contact 73 whereupon a circuit will at once be established from battery 72 by wire 71, armature 69; contact point 73 and wire 74 to bindingpost 17; then by wire 11 to and through the electro-magnet 9 thus energizing the latter then return by wire 10 through breaker-bar 20, contact screw 14 and wire 12 to bindin post 16 and finally from said 75, back to the battery 72.

Immediately upon the magnet 9 becoming energized it will attract the armature 28 and bar 29 and as the bar 29 is lowered it will strike the end 21 of the breaker-bar and depress said end thereby swinging the contact-plate 23 on the opposite end outwardly from the screw-contact 14 whereupon the magnet-energizing circuit will be broken and the magnet 9 again deenergized so that the armature 28 will be released and allowed to swing up from the ma net-core. This upmovement of the armature will allow the circuit-breaker 20 to again assume its normal position in engagement with the contactscrew 14 and thus again complete the circuit through the electro-magnet.

Thus it will be seen that the electro-mag" net will be intermittently energized and deenergized through the operation of its armature on the circuit-breaker 20, and the bar 29, which is carried by the armature will be rocked so that the head 31 and the screw posts 36 and 37 will have a continuous up and down movement beneath the blades 57 and 58 of the circuit-changer.

it is believed to also be obvious that when the screws 36 and 37 move upwardly one or the other of them will engage one of the blades 57 or 58 on the circuit-changer and shift the latter so that on each upstroke of the screws 36 or 37 the circuit-changer will be shifted and one circuit will be opened and the other circuit closed.

By again referringto Figs. 1 and 5 of the drawings an explanation of the circuits controlled by the circuit-changer will be made.

From binding-post 44 there is a wire 7 6 which leads to and connects with two lamps 77 and 79 respectively which are arranged in a lamp circuit and from which lamps a common return wire 81 leads to one side of the battery 72.

The two lamps 77 and 79 are presumed to be located on opposite sides of the trackrails 62 at the roadway-crossing 64. Two other lamps 78 and 80 are also shown on opposite sides of the track-rails and of the four lamps those designated 77 and T8 are herein termed one pair while the two lamps 79 and 80 are designated another pair. The reason for this arrangement of the pairs of lamps is that the lamps 77 and 78 are on one side of the crossing and are to coact by alternately flashing while the lamps 79 and 80 are located on the opposite side of post 16 by wire the crossing and are to coact by alternately flashing.

Vith this understanding of the arrangement of lamps it will be seen that when a circuit is closed through the wires 76 and 81 one lamp only of each pair, or lamps 77 and 79 will burn, while the other lamps 7 8 and 80 of each pair of lamps will remain dead or unlighted.

From binding-posts 46 there leads a wire 82, which connects the two lamps 78 and 80 and this wire 82 is connected to the common return wire 81 so that when current is passed through the said wires 82 and 81 the lamps 78 and 80 of each pair of lamps will be illuminated.

From an inspection of the wiring diagram'in Fig. 5, of the drawing it will be seen that the feed wire 7 6 for lamps 77 and 2"?) is connected through the binding-post 44 and wire 43 to the contact 48 at one side of the oscillating circuit-changer while the feed wire 82 for lamps 78 and 80 is connected through binding-post 46 and wire v to the contact at the opposite side of the circuit-changer.

By this means, when the circuit-changer is swung to one side it will close the circuit through lamps 77 and 7 9 whereas when it is swung to the opposite side, it will close circuit through the lamps 78 and 80. In this way two lamps only will be illuminated when the circuit-changer is in one position and the other two lamps only will be illuminated when said circuit-changer is in the other position.

As the circuit-changer is shifted each time the armature is attracted the circuit through two lamps will be opened but the circuit through the other two lamps will be closed.

This opening and closing 01": the two lamp circuits is rapidly effected consequently only one lamp of apair will be illuminated at a time with the result that a signal equivalent to a waving lamp will be given.

Having described my invention, I claim,

1. The combination with an electro-magnet, of an armature pivoted between its ends, and projecting over the magnet, a pivoted circuit-breaker in the path of one end of the armature to be mechanically struck by the armature-end and thereby be actuated so as to intermittently energize and deenergize said magnet, two stationary contacts, an oscillating circuit-breaker between said two stationary contacts and means carried by the other end of the said armature for mechanically operating the oscillating circuit-breaker. to swing the latter from one stationary contact to the other.

2. The combination with an electro-magnet, of an armature pivoted between its ends and projecting over the magnet, a pivoted circuit-breaker in the path of one end of the armature to be mechanically struck by the armature-end and thereby be actuated so as to intermittently energize and deenergize said magnet, two stationary contacts, an oscillating circuit-breaker mounted to swing-between said two latter contacts and means projecting from the other end of said armature and engaging and moving the oscillating circuit-breaker each timethe armature is attracted by the magnet whereby the one armature will mechanically operate both of the circuit-breakers.

3. The combination with an electro-magnet, of an armature pivoted between its ends and projecting over the magnet, a pivoted circuit-breaker in the path of one end of the armature to be mechanically struck by the armature-end and thereby be actuated. so as to intermittently energize and deenergize said magnet, two stationary contacts mounted above the armature, an oscillating circuit-breaker also mounted above the armature and between the two stationary contacts and means carried by the armature below said contacts and oscillating circuitbreaker for swinging the latter from one contact to the other each time the armature is attracted by the electro-magnet.

4. The combination with an electro-magnet, of an armature pivoted between its ends and projecting over the magnet, a pivoted circuit-breaker in the path of one end of the armature to be mechanically struck by the armatureend andthereby be actuated so as to intermittently energize and deenergize said magnet, a frame at one end of the armature, a block mounted from the frame so as to oscillate, said block having projecting portions at opposite sides thereof and also having contact points at opposite sides thereof, two stationary contacts,one on each side of the cont-act points on the block and means carried by the armatuire for swinging the block. and its contacts between the two stationary contacts each time the armature is attracted by the electro-magnet.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CHARLES ADLER, JR. 

